Sunday, January 31, 2016

Happy Sunday all! We've seriously had the mildest winter in Boston so far. It's basically February and there's no snow on the ground! It was nearly 60 degrees today and I was able to get away with this fancy SheIn dress (less than $25) without leggings! Ok, it turned out to still be pretty chilly, but the point is that it was way warmer than usual for New England this time of year.

Anyway, this dress has definitely been on repeat for me since I received it from SheIn. You may remember it from my post on the Hotel Commonwealth Sparkle + Glow Party. Its black and gold sequin baroque patterning gives it a really formal, almost regal look which I love. It's also super comfy which is the #1 priority in my closet! I do wish it was a bit longer, but that's the only drawback I experienced.

I paired the dress with some gorgeous pieces from this month's Rocksbox set: Merlot earrings by Lauren Hope, Pavé Double Teardrop Pendant Necklace by Sophie Harper, and a set of midi rings by Gorjana (not pictured above). Rocksbox literally brings high-end jewelry to your doorstep every month and is the perfect way to complete an outfit! For U.S. residents, sign in to Rocksbox here using code chelseaxoxo2 to try it free for a whole month!

Between SheIn and Rocksbox, I feel like I've got my whole wardrobe cut out for me. SheIn has ridiculously good deals on gorgeous clothes that I always get tons of compliments on!

Comment Challenge: How has your winter been so far? Have you gotten any snow?

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

The last night of my stay back home in San Francisco for the holidays, my dad and I found a local Italian gem : Uva Enoteca. From the outside it looks like a tiny restaurant, but as you step inside you can see how far back it goes! There's a small initial seating area, followed by a full bar, and a second seating area behind that.

This venue has amazing food - healthy, incredible taste, and good ambiance to boot. They even have great gluten-free pasta options which are scrumptious (though I wish it wasn't $3 extra)! The only drawback we experienced was the service: Our waiter was very attentive in the beginning, but he definitely went MIA as the meal went on! We had to ask for water refills multiple times, and we even ending up flagging down the busboy for a dessert menu in the end. All-in-all, I would go back for the food and atmosphere, hopeful to get a slightly more attentive waiter this time!

Is this not the healthiest looking salad ever?? It's mixed kale, almonds, and ricotta. I love how the kale here is purple with green tips! You can tell it's incredibly fresh.

Delectable pasta plates! Both dishes were honestly incredible - perfect texture and bold flavors. I do wish they didn't charge an extra $3 for the gluten free option though!

Finally, we come to dessert. My dad got the affogato - vanilla gelato & double shot of ritual espresso, and I ordered the pear & mascarpone tart. YUM! I can not recommend the tart enough. I believe it's now on the menu with strawberry which I'm sure is equally as good.

My dad and I at Uva Enoteca! He's the hardest working guy I know, and coming out with a new AMAZING fashion line soon, so stay tuned!

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Guys, I just went to the most legendary event! Hotel Commonwealth's Sparkle and Glow party kicked off the grand opening of their new wing, and featured a special performance by The Dropkick Murphys, catering by Island Creek Oyster Bar and Eastern Standard, ice sculptures, multiple ice bars, gorgeous sweets, and a tour of the hotel rooms. We still can't get over it!

The chefs at Hotel Commonwealth are clearly artists. I mean look how gorgeous these sweets are. They really catered to different diets, and a lot of the baked goods here were actually gluten-free and delicious!

The truffles on the right were actually banana-flavored!

Some very Boston ice sculptures on the terrace.

This amazing spread by Eastern Standard included cheeses, fruit, and charcuterie.

How epic is this glowing oyster ice bar from Island Creek Oyster Bar! Unlimited Duxbury oysters, prawns, and delicious ceviche made us very happy campers.

This ice bar was too cool - literally!

Next, we got to tour some of the rooms in the hotel. I give you: The Loft Room at Hotel Commonwealth. This room never goes for less than $700, and the price goes up during baseball season. It boasts a pool table, dining table, flat screen tv in the living room as well as the bedroom, two couches, and a fireplace. It's the perfect space for a special occasion! When can I move in?

Loved the modern, minimalistic bathroom.

We were really excited about the bathroom doors in all the rooms - instead of your boring, standard door, they installed these epic wooden sliding doors that felt very rustic-chic.

Pretty luxurious banquet hall / conference room.

Saving the best for last, obviously! The invite boasted a "special musical guest," but did not specify who it would be. Luckily since I had a media pass, they told me at the front door that it would be the Dropkick Murphys so we were able to grab a prime spot in the very front row!

They were amazing in concert, as expected, and even mingled a bit after the show which was unbelievable! Pretty much like a dream. For those who don't know, The Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic rock band who got their start in Quincy (which is a suburb of Boston). Living in Boston and being Irish, it's beyond cool to see them in person and get to chat with them! They were really humble and genuine in person as well.

It doesn't get more epic than that! It's clear that Hotel Commonwealth really goes all out! From the Dropkick Murphys, to the amazing food and hotel rooms, this was a legendary event to say the least!

Comment Challenge: What's the most legendary event you've been to so far?

Monday, January 18, 2016

Over the holiday break I was lucky enough to win an Instagram giveaway for this orange plaid blanket scarf from Urban Blonde and Swanky J Boutique! I just can't get enough of scarves, especially blanket scarves this season. This one from Swanky J Boutique is way softer than other blanket scarves I've had or seen, which makes all the difference. Nothing worse than an itchy scarf on your neck all day! I love how versatile these scarves are, and how many different ways there are to wear them.

Today I styled my orange blanket scarf against a contrasting sky blue sweater from Express. I love how this color scheme really makes the scarf pop.

I'm also rocking my new fave skirt from Primark which is so comfy and goes with everything, as well as new knee-high socks and ankle booties from H&M.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Have you ever been wine tasting in a castle? Well now I have! Picture this: Our wine connoisseur is telling us all about the Napa Valley wine-making process on a tourette at Castello di Amorosa, when suddenly Adele starts blasting from the cell phone of someone in our tour group. Oh, modern life!

As always, I went home to San Francisco for the holidays. For New Years, we all rented a cute Air Bnb in Sonoma and went wine tasting on January first in a legitimate castle in Calistoga. Read on for a picture guide of our experience there!

Napa Valley Wine Tasting

Even the drive leading up to the castle is grand! It was absolutely freezing but a gorgeous clear day nonetheless.

I give you: Castello di Amorosa. No, it's not a medieval castle (nothing on the West Coast is), but it was built using medieval techniques with materials shipped over from Tuscany in Southern Italy, and modeled after 13th century castles there. It even has a moat and a drawbridge!

We went on a guided tour before the wine tasting itself, and I loved hearing about the history of the family behind the castle. Apparently they go back many generations in San Francisco, which is fun to hear for my friends and I since we are all SF locals which is a rarity. The story goes that the Sattui family used to sell wine in SF itself, but during prohibition they were forced to leave and actually ended up selling sandwiches on the side of the road in Napa Valley. And now they have a castle! Who doesn't love a good underdog story like that?

Loved this drawbridge!

Beautiful courtyard which really makes you feel like you're in Italy.

Apparently in medieval times, you would get taxed based on how many windows and doors you have. So come tax season, they would simply seal up the doors like the above picture. Clever!

Each of these are hand-made in Italy and worth about $50,000 each!

We must have walked past hundreds of these wine barrels!

P.S. This bib necklace is from Rocksbox - get your own month free with code chelseaxoxo2!

We even got to try a cabernet straight from the barrell! It was only a 2014 so it wasn't ready yet - instead tasting sweeter and closer resembling a grape juice than wine.

This is the room we had the actual wine tasting in.

They had these great regal wine stoppers which looked like something out of Game of Thrones. They gave us a menu to pick 5 samples from, rather than just telling us what to try which was fun.

I discovered that I really like Pino Bianco (above), which is a white wine on the sweeter side. This glass has a bit of a pear taste to it, and would go well with fish.

I also enjoyed the above pictured La Fantasia. It's incredibly sweet, bubbly, and would go well with berries and desserts. I learned that you don't need to swirl wines that have bubbles, because the bubbles air out the glass enough on their own.

The squad! Friends for 16+ years, no big deal.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed our tour of this Napa Valley castle. Our tour guide was very enthusiastic and clearly knowledgeable on everything from the history of the castle to the wine-making process. The castle itself whisked you away to another world and reminded me a bit of Disneyland in that way. It was great to learn a little more about wine and have fun along the way!